Smaller homes run a whole gamut of creativity: from hand-built earthen geodesic domes to the current plethora of interesting tiny homes that are emerging beyond the early Tumbleweed days. Nelson Tiny Houses, a builder based in British Columbia, created this impressive 380-square-foot dwelling using a fifth-wheel utility trailer as a base. The resulting design boasts a great layout: a comfortable sitting area, guest loft and a loft-less bedroom that feels like a room in its own right. Seth Reidy of Nelson Tiny Houses gives a tour of this home, now nestled in the mountains somewhere:

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

Dubbed the V House, the approximately 38' by 9' solar-powered home features an extra-wide deck and front door that opens into the sitting area. Thanks to a neat, transforming design involving mobile seating units and a folding bamboo table that can expand and become suspended from the ceiling with a cable, this area is made into a multipurpose space (dining, workspace and even guest bed). Above the sitting area is the spare bedroom loft.

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

The home is heated with Hobbit wood stove with a fresh air intake, and also has a heat pump installed in the kitchen. The kitchen is large, with lots of counter space, a full-sized sink, oven, refrigerator, and pantry. Sliding doors on both ends of the adjoining bathroom save space.

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

The bathroom is quite luxurious; a huge picture window is placed over a big bathtub (oh yes), and is accented by iridescent tiles. There's a hookup to a septic tank onsite, so the client opted for a flush toilet.

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

The stairs leading to the bedroom has convenient storage drawers. The bedroom, which is built over the gooseneck trailer, is lit with windows that open, and has a full closet too. Reidy, who is 6'5" tall, is able to stand up in it.

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

One quirk of Nelson's V House is that the roof is installed separately, allowing it to gain some extra overhead space in the end, says the company:

With our V House, we build the roof in sections at our yard and then install it on site. This allows the house to be road-legal (height and width requirements are met) for transport, and the final house has an aesthetically pleasing and protective roof overhang. This is what we did for the 380 sq foot tiny house.

Nelson Tiny Houses/Video screen capture

There's a lot to like here: for one, this tiny house feels huge, and the peculiarities and size of the fifth-wheel trailer base allow for an awesome bedroom design, in addition to a smart layout overall that really opens up the space for full-sized appliances and fixtures. For more info, check out Nelson Tiny Houses.